Israeli medical team saves sight in Myanmar

NPO organization Eye from Zion sends Israeli senior ophthalmologists to one of the world's most impoverished countries. Two of them offer special insight into their journey .
from Ynet, byDr. Nirit Bourla, Dr. Nadav Belfair

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3825051,00.html

Aid agencies 'must use new tools'

An article from BBC, By Jason Palmer.

The UN Foundation/Vodafone Foundation Partnership report outlines examples of new technologies that mitigate conflicts and save lives worldwide. The "crowd-sourced" data that comes from victims of natural disasters and conflicts is now a crucial part in disaster management, says a new report.

USAID Celebrates 25 Years of Demographic and Health Surveys

USAID Celebrates 25 Years of Demographic and Health Surveys.
http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2009/pr091218.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Since 1984, Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), conceived and funded largely by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has collected and disseminated high quality data that provide critical insight for decision makers to plan, monitor, and evaluate population, health, and nutrition programs. The DHS project staff has helped conduct some 260 surveys in over 90 developing countries.

UN online tool allows people to track nations’ pledges on climate change

an article from UN news center. Again, about the great cooperation between development and new technologies.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33226&Cr=copenhagen&Cr1=

People around the world can now keep tabs on countries’ promises and proposals on combating climate change, thanks to a new online tool launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Jepson School of Leadership Studies: Dambisa Moyo on her book Dead Aid

look at this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4a-FZjPreg
Economist Dambisa Moyo, named one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world for 2009, discusses her book Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. In her point of view, we have to encourage trade and developement by other ways than classical aid. This is not the first time we are publishing an interview from Moyo... even if she is a bit controversial, we can learn a lot about alternative ways to understand foreign aid. She is on the video at University of Richmond on November 16.

First-time Cooperation between MASHAV and NATO: Training for Mass-Casualty Events

MASHAV together with NATO and the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa held in November 2009 an advanced course on “The best ways of training for mass-casualty situations”. This is the first time MASHAV and NATO have cooperated on a project.

The workshop, was designed for doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and first-responder organizations that deal with treating the injured in mass-casualty events. Professionals from NATO member states in Europe as well as FSU and Mediterranean states attended.

International Day for the Elimination of violence against Women

25 Novembre- International Day for the elimination of violence against women. A FAO initiative.
http://www.fao.org/gender/en/

Numerous studies underscore the social costs of rural women's lack of education and assets, linking it directly to high rates of undernutrition, infant mortality and - in some countries - HIV/AIDS infection, dislocation of family's authority and violence.

Israel's Eye from Zion restores sight in developing countries- A MASHAV-Eues From Zion initiative

Giving the gift of sight: A non-profit with zero overhead, Israel's Eye from Zion is restoring sight to hundreds of people in developing countries.

Eye from Zion grew out of the vision of Israeli businessman Nati Marcus. Since its founding about three years ago, it has grown into a core group comprising five or six influential Israelis like Hessel. With their help, through missions undertaken by dozens of Israeli doctors who donate their time and expertise, Eye from Zion has restored sight to hundreds of people. With an industry standard tool called a Phaco machine, the Israeli eye doctors use sound waves to blast out a cataract, breaking it into pieces and then sucking it out. Most of the patients who arrive at the mobile clinic are nearly or completely blind in both eyes.

Key OECD anti-corruption documents

Corruption is one of the top-10 issues in the developing world. Look at what OECD is doing in matters of anti-corruption. All you want to know on the fight against corruption, from the OECD's website.
http://www.oecd.org/document/42/0,3343,en_2649_37447_41799402_1_1_1_1,00.html

Brazil to learn water saving from Israel for Rio 2016

A delegation of senior Brazilian officials is slated to arrive in Israel in order to assess the knowledge and technological solutions Israel can offer them in their conservation efforts.

The Brazilian delegation will include 10 government ministers from various areas in the country and representatives from the country's largest water companies.

From YNET, Nov. 12. by Yael Darel

Protecting the Environment During Armed Conflict

This is an impressive document by UNEP, the UN program for environment (and not only because of its 82 pages...) about environement and armed conflicts. It more generally deals with issues as development and armed conflicts and the incidence of wars, from a legal point of view, on development and environment. Very interesting.

Here is the link: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/int_law.pdf

Africa blocs draft giant free trade roadmap

from REUTERS Africa. The roadmap would bring together 26 states, from South Africa to Egypt.


"Three African trade blocs that have agreed to form a free trade area covering more than half a billion people created a long overdue roadmap on Monday.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) agreed to the plan in October 2008, but the roadmap was due to have been completed six months later.
"Almost half of Africa is part of this grand free trade area," EAC Secretary-General Juma Mwapachu told reporters after a meeting of trade bloc officials in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
He said the unpublished roadmap was a major achievement".

read the article:
http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE5A80PU20091109?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Climate change will increase food insecurity

From the friends of FAO program.

"Imagine the year 2050. Wheat prices have increased by over 90 percent , child undernutrition has increased by 20 percent and crop yields continue to decrease due to lack of water. These are just some of the ominous predictions from a new study that finds climate change could have negative consequences for agricultural productivity and human well-being if action isn’t taken.
The study, released this month by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), is the first study that models crop growth under climate change with insights from a detailed agriculture model. The model’s results shows how vulnerable agriculture is to climate change: changing precipitation patterns will cause more crop failures and higher temperatures will increase the number of weeds and pests and reduce crop yields. Combined with an increasing world population, unchecked climate change will continue to increase food insecurity, especially in the developing world".

War against hunger, global warming can be won on farmlands – UN report

UN NEWS CENTER, from a report released by FAO on Nov. 4.
"Agriculture has the potential to play a critical role in slashing global emissions, with around 70 percent of the possibility of alleviating the effect of climate change coming from developing countries", FAO said.

Religion’s Role in the Climate Challenge

A very interesting issue: the role of religions in climate deterioration. An article By Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times.

"Much of the discourse over climate has been focused on gigatons of gases, megawatt hours of electricity, miles per gallon or details of diplomatic accords or legislation. But Olav Kjorven, an assistant secretary general at the United Nations involved with the meeting, spent the last year visiting religious orders around the world to see what faiths could bring to the climate table".